Michigan teacher claims school fired him for tweeting ‘Trump is our president,’ report says A Michigan social studies teacher and baseball coach has claimed he was fired after tweeting “Trump is our president.” Justin Kucera told the Washington Free Beacon that the Walled Lake school district in Commerce Township, Mich., dragged him into a closed-door meeting after he tweeted support of Trump reopening schools. “I’m done being silent. Covid Tests and Quarantines: Colleges Brace for an Uncertain Fall Big schools, from Syracuse University to the University of California, San Diego, that have connections to labs, health programs or medical schools say they are capable of processing large numbers of Covid tests in 24 to 48 hours. In a typical big-school plan, the University of California, Berkeley, will test all residential students within 24 hours of their arrival, for free, using either a standard nasal swab or a saliva test being developed by an internationally renowned genomics research lab on campus. Students will subsequently be sequestered for 7 to 10 days, leaving their single dorm rooms only to go (masked) to the bathroom or to pick up a meal from a central location in the building or outside, then retested. If they test positive, they’ll be isolated in a special dorm.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris say Trump has left US 'in tatters' Media playback is unsupported on your device Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris have attacked "whining" President Donald Trump as an incompetent leader who has left the US "in tatters". The pair held their first campaign event together, a day after Mr Biden unveiled Ms Harris as his number two. President Trump hit back, saying Ms Harris had "dropped like a rock" in her own presidential bid. Mr Biden will face Mr Trump, a Republican, in November's election.
Brazil death toll passes 105,000 – as it happened 12.38am BST00:38 We’ve launched a new blog at the link below – head there for the latest: 11.59pm BST23:59 UK decision to add France to quarantine list will lead to reciprocal measure, says European affairs minister
New Zealand to delay election until October, citing coronavirus resurgence New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced early Monday that the country’s general election will be delayed until October, citing concerns over a resurgent coronavirus. The postponement of the September 19 election until October 17 comes despite New Zealand being one of the most successful countries to curb the pandemic. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts during a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. (New Zealand Herald via AP)
Biden vows to end 'season of darkness' as he accepts the Democratic presidential nomination – as it happened 6.29am BST06:29 Key takeaways from the night That’s it from us tonight. The Guardian live blog will be back with more convention coverage next week, when Trump accepts the Republican nomination. Here are the key takeaways from the night: Trump’s most powerful ally in undermining the election: William Barr As Donald Trump continues to sow doubt about the integrity of the US election, he has found a remarkably powerful ally in William Barr, the US attorney general, who has not only enthusiastically embraced the president’s claims but also spread misinformation on his own. Barr has falsely said foreign nations could print counterfeit ballots, something intelligence officials say there’s no evidence of and would be nearly impossible. After Trump encouraged North Carolina voters to vote twice, which is illegal, Barr declined to definitively say it was illegal, instead saying he wasn’t familiar with the laws in every state. (A Department of Justice handbook makes it clear that it’s a crime to vote more than once in any election involving a federal office).
Covid: White House aide tests positive as military leaders quarantine Image copyright Reuters Covid-19 is spreading further among those around US President Donald Trump, with White House adviser Stephen Miller and a top military official infected. Mr Miller, who has been self-isolating for the past five days, confirmed he had contracted coronavirus on Tuesday. Facebook and Twitter restrict controversial New York Post story on Joe Biden Facebook and Twitter took steps on Wednesday to limit the spread of a controversial New York Post article critical of Joe Biden, sparking outrage among conservatives and stoking debate over how social media platforms should tackle misinformation ahead of the US election. In an unprecedented step against a major news publication, Twitter blocked users from posting links to the Post story or photos from the unconfirmed report. Users attempting to share the story were shown a notice saying: “We can’t complete this request because this link has been identified by Twitter or our partners as being potentially harmful.”
'Trump isn't going to protect us': Obama returns to campaign trail for Biden Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday to deliver a scathing – and occasionally humorous – condemnation of his successor while envisioning an America led by his former vice-president, Joe Biden. Sleeves rolled and wearing a black mask that read VOTE, Obama assailed Donald Trump over his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected millions more, including the president. “Eight months into this pandemic, cases are rising again across this country” Obama said at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia less than two weeks before election day. “Donald Trump isn’t suddenly going to protect all of us. He can’t even take the basic steps to protect himself.” Declaring this “the most important election of our lifetime”, Obama pleaded with Americans to deliver Biden a victory so overwhelming that Trump cannot seriously dispute the result.
Biden mauls Trump's record on coronavirus in final presidential debate The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden assailed Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic during Thursday night’s final presidential debate, as the president attempted to reset a race that shows him trailing his opponent in opinion polls less than two weeks before election day. The evening in Nashville began relatively calmly, with the rivals making their closing arguments to the nation amid a pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected millions more, including the president. In part due to the pandemic, more than 40 million Americans have already cast their ballot, shattering records and leaving Trump an increasingly narrow window to reset the debate around his handling of the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout. “It will go away,” Trump said, offering a rosy assessment of the pandemic’s trajectory even as cases have started rising again across the US and public health experts warn that the US is on the precipice of a dangerous new wave.